omg it's springtime go go go!

I don't know about you, but the weather has created a sudden frenzy of activity. From runs to the hardware store for plants and pots and garden supplies and home repair items to outdoor activities like campfires and impromptu dinners on the deck and cycling around...

I'm exhausted. And motivated. And beginning the all-important LISTS. To-do lists and to-buy lists and to-remember lists. Reminders about reminders and lists about lists. And I don't even do half the stuff I would want to do were I home more often and/or more of a green thumb :)

This weekend, I took the scissors outside and cut the grass. Ok, not really. I cut the chives, which grow way faster than grass as spring begins. I cut a half-basket full, sorted and snipped them, then let them go overnight in the dehydrator. (Overnight was probably too long, but I didn't get them on until late in the evening.) Last year, I spread them on metal sheets and put them in the freezer to freeze-dry. That worked quite well, but took a while. My favorite thing to make with them is sour cream and chive hummus. *DROOL* I'll post a recipe later!

I also got four pots for the spider plants and the *mumblemumblemumble* plant that is dying in the bathroom. I'll repot those (tonight?!?!), and find happy places for them around the living areas of the house. This morning (in my franticly motivated frenzy of cramming every second with productivity) I also discovered why exactly my low-light tropical plant died last year. Apparently the larger pot it came in was filled with smaller plastic pots with the individual plant seedlings; while they were full of slits for root growth, they weren't big enough. Poor plant suffocated to near-death, at which point I gave up and tried to let it thirst to death, while Able-Bodied Boy took pity and kept giving it water until I finally left it outside in the cold. Now I know... check the damn pots for stupid plastic crap.
The big announcement is coming very soon, I promise. No later than this weekend :)

In the meantime, my posts may be a bit more sparse than they were in the winter!

Has spring sprung for you too?

Much Love,
Able-Bodied Girl


  

w/m02h #3: my shampoo-less month

Ok, it's nearly been a month since I stopped using shampoo. And, no, I'm not gross :)

There were plenty of occasions for adjustment. A 6-day vacation in Florida was a chaotic, greasy, flaky time. But I managed to pull through, figure out what my hair didn't like, and moved on with my life.

I'm still only washing my hair on Mondays and Thursdays. But I'm no longer trying to add oil to my hair; I'll just brush it more to distribute the scalp oils.

I started noticing that flakes were coming back and, after reading a bit of advice in this LJ community (which is very helpful if you're starting out and are looking for solutions for your particular hair type or issue), I decided to try a few things:

• I'm using a more-diluted baking soda mixture, but I can't really say how diluted... I add water to the bottle during my next washing if the previous washing seemed to have left me with baking soda residue/flakes.
• I scrub my scalp with my nails pretty furiously when the residue/flakes first appeared, to see if it was just all sorts of chemical grossness coming loose from years on shampoo, or even just dead skin cells. This has really worked the best of all; granted, I had a nightmare day in Florida after the first scrubbing when I looked like I had decended upon them with snow. But that's what a ponytail is for. After that, though, there has been less and less, and I have to spend less and less effort with the scrubbing to maintain a minimal level of flake.
• I also spend 5-minutes to blow dry (on warm, then cool) my roots; I was thinking that some of the residue/flakes were due to a wet scalp all morning, in combination with too much baking soda. Plus, the blowing might blow some of the flakes out? As I dilute the baking soda more, I'll try drying less. I just hate wasting the energy blow-drying when I have at least another hour before I am in public, and no-fuss no-primping straight hair.

Ok, so for those of you reading all this and considering (or not really considering) going without your coveted shampoo and conditioner, and thinking OMG this sounds like a pain in the ass to do; I could just suds up with some Tresemme... (shit, nobody thinks "OMG" do they?)........

You're right. It's been a bit of a pain in the ass. Everyone's hair is different and your scalp and hair will have to go through their own personal adventure. But, I love a good challenge and this has been a money-, time-, health-, and environment- saving journey so far. And that, in my book, is a WIN. Also, had I not found the little well-sealed bottles that I had found to transport the BS/V in, I could have just rummaged all the ingredients from the houses of those we visited :)


What fun challenges have you encountered lately? Any April Fools' jokes today?

Much Love,
Able-Bodied Girl